The Pendant
by Mamararinana
Summary: Raven is just a normal teenage girl, but what happens when she finds a disturbingly familiar pendant and wakes up in the realm of her favorite TV show the following morning? Not only that, but she finds herself in the body of a very familiar bat demon...
1. It Begins with a Pendant

(Raven's POV)

Another day, another ten cents. I'd say 'another dollar', but it's not worth that much anymore.

I collapsed onto the couch and flipped on Yu Yu Hakusho, absolutely exhausted by the hazardous day. Could my luck have possibly been more… warped? I mean, I got everything I asked for, but somehow, the universe managed to twist it around and make my day a living hell.

For instance, that morning, my uniform had been ironed and washed, and everything was perfect. However, upon reaching school, I'd found out that it was a uniform free day. Upon reaching first period math class, the teacher had, as I'd hoped, been a substitute, and a nice one at that. However, I'd met this particular teacher a few years ago, and she'd gotten entirely the wrong impression, so the otherwise nice teacher was now out to get me and me alone. During lunch, I found that, for once, my favourite snack was not sold out. However, I had left my lunch money at home. Then, of course, there was the fact that I'd been given only one measly page's worth of homework. Upon logging onto the internet, though, I'd discovered that there were absolutely no sources of information on that one subject at all.

Murphy's law was proven once again. Stupid Murphy. Stupid, twisted, disgusting luck. Oh, how I despised it.

I sighed, reaching into my pocket and taking out the only positive result of my day. A pendant I'd found on the road (though I'd nearly gotten ground into sidewalk paste when I'd reached down to pick it up. Stupid cars on their stupid roads).

I smiled softly, admiring the stone. It probably wasn't real, but it was still nice. A flawless crimson stone set in some sort of metal, in an odd, but plain shape. It was nice, though – in fact, it looked a lot like Kuronue's pendant.

I gave a fangirl-ish sigh at that thought, hugging the pendant close. It would be my good luck pendant from now on… though I suppose it hadn't been that lucky for Kuronue…

I giggled softly, turning my attention to Kurama's fight with Roto (yes, that dirty, cheating bastard who held Kurama's mother at ransom to try to win the fight at the dark tournament), absently swinging the pendant around again.

(Kurama's POV)

I could hear tittering following me. Fangirls again, I suppose. Far more concerning was Hiei, perched in a nearby tree, glaring at the fangirls. I could only hope that he wasn't going to violate his parole, that would land the both of us in prison.

No, he'd dropped to the ground beside me. He wasn't going to murder them. Good thing, too. It wouldn't be that big of a problem to get out of a Makai prison, but it would take a while, and my mother would worry.

"Good afternoon, Hiei. What brings you here on this fine day?"

"Hn. The toddler wants us all to go to the old hag Genkai's place. Something about a portal opening near there."

"A portal, you say? Have any demons escaped through, yet?"

"Not yet, but the toddler's more than a little worried about it. They can't seem to figure out where it is that the portal leads to, incompetent fools."

"Why not?"

"Hn."

I suppose that was his way of saying that he didn't have a single clue without actually admitting it. I confess, it sometimes got a little annoying attempting to guess what he meant when he said that word of his.

I gave a sigh.

'_Oh, well. On to Genkai's it is.'_

A curious titter caught my sensitive hearing.

'_Don't forget to get rid of the rabid fangirls first,'_ Youko reminded me.

"Hiei, your opinion. Do you think they'd leave me alone if they were to find out what I am?" I asked the shorter fire-demon.

Hiei's only response was a snort.

'_Yeah, right,' _Youko put in his two cents' worth.

'_No one asked you,' _I told the restless Youko.

"That's a no?" I questioned, just to make sure I'd understood correctly. You never know, Hiei could sometimes be difficult to understand.

"That's a no," he confirmed.

Another titter. Thankfully, they couldn't quite hear us.

"Shall we lose them, Hiei?"

"Of course. Weeds gone wrong or spontaneous combustion, this time?"

'_Combustion, combustion!'_ Youko cheered._ 'Fire, I say, FIRE!'_

"Spontaneous combustion, I think. Will you do the honour?"

"With pleasure."

_How was it? This is the first time I've ever actually posted a story on – not the first time I've ever written a story, just to clarify, but it is the first time I've posted one, so please be nice and review to tell me if I'm doing something wrong and how I can improve. Or if I should even bother continuing…_

_Anyway, please R&R! (I've always wanted to say that…)_


	2. It's All Wrong

OMG, OMG, OMG! I got _REVIEWS!_ WOO HOO!

Ahem… now that that's out of my system.

I just realized I forgot to do the disclaimer thingy last chapter… Whoops… I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I would do one of those funny disclaimer things, but I don't have the imagination to come up with one myself, so I'd just have to do another disclaimer saying that I don't own the disclaimer… um…

Well, now that that awkwardness is over with, may the chapter begin!

(Raven's POV)

Something was wrong.

That was my first observation as I began to stir. That something was wrong, very, very wrong.

It was _everywhere_, this wrongness. The surface beneath me, the clothes I wore, the sharpness of smell and sound. It even lingered about my skin, a sort of strangeness to a set of movements that should have been familiar. Like when you stop riding your bike for a few years and have a growth spurt, and then you get back on. A strange mix of clumsiness and deftness, déjà vu with a healthy dose of unfamiliarity.

Suddenly, I heard a twig snap. At that, all my senses went on high alert. I practically shot to my feet and into some sort of stance, a movement which, contrite to everything about this morning, felt astonishingly right, but which I had no recollection at all of.

A myriad of scents hit my nostrils, overwhelmingly strong compared to what I was used to, and yet somehow, I labelled each scent easily. The grass and the pine trees, the rotting leaves on the ground, a family of rabbits in a warren, a pair of birds in a tree, and one other scent. A scent which, to my confusion, my own mind immediately labelled 'demon'.

Then, the rest of it hit me. I sank to my knees, clutching my head as thousands of new signals were registered. Disturbingly familiar, but undeniably odd and overwhelming, as if I'd lived for ten years with my eyes covered and my ears plugged, and finally someone had snatched away my earplugs and blindfold, leaving me to deal with deafening noise after so long in silence and blinding light after so long in darkness.

I clenched my teeth to prevent a cry, still clutching my head. It was throwing thousands and thousands of signals at me in a confused blur, and I found myself completely confused by the mess that made almost all my other senses jumbled and practically useless.

The next thing that came was the deafening roar of sound. My hearing seemed to have increased a hundredfold, and every single minute noise seemed overwhelmingly loud.

Then, there was that scent again. That same one as before, the one my subconscious seemed to believe was 'demon'. A low growl reached my ears, and I reached blindly, on impulse, towards my hip, confusing myself completely when my hand rested on the handle of something. For a startling moment of clarity, I calculated the distance of the unfamiliar opponent and threw with almost reflexive but still decidedly calculated ease.

There was a strangled roar from the direction in which I'd thrown whatever it was, and I reached out absently to catch it. Looking down, I was startled to see what appeared to be some sort of weapon, a sickle or a scythe of some sort, crescent shaped with a handle attached to the inner blade. It hung from a long cord, and seemed to be made of pure silver. It also seemed to be stained with the blood of whatever creature I'd just taken down.

Blood on silver. The shining white of the blade stained with red. The sight was… strangely alluring, for some reason…

A strange new urge presented itself, and in the midst of my confusion, my mind drew a total blank as to why I should not do as it said. Holding the blade up to my face, I gave a soft sniff. The scent was just as alluring as the image, the strong coppery tang of blood rippling over the subtle scent of silver.

I held the blade to my mouth, and allowed my lips to momentarily caress the flat of the silver blade, feeling the smooth silver and the rivulets of blood. My tongue escaped my mouth to run sensually, almost delicately over the blade. The rich taste of the crimson liquid, one which I should have found absolutely disgusting, I instead found to taste a different sort of sweet.

My eyes widened as my mind suddenly caught up with what I was doing. I almost threw the blade to the ground, and began to stumble off in the other direction, completely ignoring the bloodied corpse of what appeared to be some manner of huge, black feline.

Walking became more and more confusing as I went. First, I was walking in the same manner with which I'd fought – automatically, so much more gracefully than I usually could have done. Then, I scolded myself – what if following this reflexive action led to following another? Changing my pace, I attempted to walk as I usually would have, only to find that I seemed to have outgrown the steps which I should have been so at ease with. I felt unbalanced, my weight focused in the wrong places to stay upright. My body felt different, my movements easier, and there was a strength behind them that I was completely unused to.

Then, the flood of other sensations came back in a jumbled heap. I grabbed my head, fighting to make sense of the strange signals, still stumbling clumsily forward over the uneven ground.

Finally, a scream was let loose, echoing for miles over the woods and the mountains surrounding me, further confusing my ears as they tried to register signals far too advanced for my current state of mind.

_Someone help me…_

(Kurama's POV)

Honestly, I have to wonder about these steps Genkai had. Sure, they might be convenient for keeping out unwanted guests, but weren't they a strain on Genkai, or, for that matter, all her _wanted_ guests? I mean, I knew she was reclusive, but one would think the demon forest would be enough to keep out unwelcome visitors… oh, well. At least I had the memory of a screaming fangirl on fire to keep me amused on my way up, though I might end up scaring someone if I didn't get rid of this particular facial expression.

Finally, I reached the top of the stairs. Hiei had long gotten there, with his speed, and though it would hardly have been a strain to do as he had, I preferred not to sneak in like an intruder or a thief. Making my presence known was only polite after all.

Standing at the top of the stairs, I found Koenma (in his teenage form), Botan and the blue ogre (George, I believe he was called) standing on either side of him. Hiei sat in a nearby tree, watching the three.

"Kurama! You're here! Oh, thank goodness!"

Was it just me, or was there a note of relief in Botan's usually cheerful voice?

"Where's Hiei?"

The said fire demon jumped off his branch to stand beside me.

"Hn."

"Oh, there you are. Did you tell Kurama about the portal?"

"Hn."

'_Social as always…'_

"Briefly. From what I understand, there's a portal in this forest, and you can't figure out how it got there or where it leads to," I replied.

"That's partially true," Koenma spoke up. "We theorize that the portal leads to some other time, perhaps even another dimension. It appeared about an hour ago, so we've had a little time to research, and evidence suggests that there was something in another dimension that belonged in ours, and so it sent out a beacon, which in turn opened the portal."

"I see. So, it will be a simple matter of going through and retrieving the beacon, and then coming back here."

"I'm afraid not. The portal won't let anything through from our side, and we can't seem to close it off at all," Botan explained. "This is both good and bad, as it probably means that only one living being can get through, and that would be the one with the object. However, we don't know what sort of being this will be or what sort of powers it will have."

"It's nothing we haven't dealt with before, I suppose," I replied simply.

"Hn," Hiei agreed.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand," Koenma said. "This portal doesn't just lead to Makai or Reikai like you seem to think, it leads to another _dimension_. The creature that comes out could be from a world where physics are twisted beyond general reason, where the world is flat or three moons hang in the sky during the day. It could be from a world where the concept of humans and demons are different, or a world where there is nothing but mindless destruction. At this rate anything could come out of that portal, and I mean _anything._"

I mulled that over for a second. Anything, he said? Well, perhaps it _would_ be interesting. But what about the item? What if it was some sort of power enhancement? If it was true that it belonged in this dimension, then it was quite possible that it was.

"I see. And is it possible that this creature will be from a world of nothing but humans?" I asked.

"Of course it's possible. However, the definition of 'human' might be a different story wherever this thing comes from," Botan explained. "This isn't the first time we've seen a portal like this – the last time, it was a demon from another world, where witches lived in human world to fend off the demons of the underworld. Not only that, but her powers were different. Teleportation, chant spells and fireballs were apparently the general magic of demons in this world. The strength and senses of demons, however, were only slightly enhanced. Also, sight was perceived somewhat differently, from what I hear. Like an anime as compared to reality."

'_Interesting_…_'_ Youko commented.

'_I admit, I find myself almost looking forward to meeting whatever it is…'_ I replied.

"So, nothing has come through, as of yet?" I spoke aloud.

"Not yet," Botan replied. "But when it does, we will know."

"And where exactly is Yusuke?" I asked.

"Late, as usual. He had detention, so he won't be here for a few hours yet."

"Sounds about right," I replied with a soft chuckle.

Then, there was a sudden pop, and a red ogre appeared out of thin air.

"Koenma-sama, it's the portal! It's closing!"

"Which means whatever it was has come through," Botan intoned.

Suddenly, a jumble of signals hit me. A confused mass of sensory energy, covering the entire area, picking up on things and sending them back to whatever they came from in a jumbled, inexperienced mess.

Apparently, I was not the only one who felt it. Of course, Botan was the first one with an explanation.

"Oh, dear. It would seem that whatever it was has had suppressed powers. This sort of thing happens sometimes when a creature from a dimension without magic suddenly finds its way into a place more supportive of the lack of logic. He's probably too confused to fight right now, I imagine it must be overwhelming to suddenly have so many signals vying for attention…"

'_It feels familiar…'_ Youko murmured.

"Hn. Let's go," Hiei spoke up.

"Yes, let's."

And with that, we bolted off in the same direction as the sensory energy.

It was hardly five minutes later that we found the source of the jumbled signals. A tanned demon with a black ponytail, wearing mostly black leather, with pointed ears and two black bat wings protruding from his back.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

'_Kuronue…?'_ came Youko's shocked intonation.

The figure was clutching its head, growling under its breath, letting out the occasional cry. He stumbled slowly forward over the uneven ground, in a strange mix of his usual confident gait and the slightly graceless quality of a newborn foal. Every second, he'd turn to his legs, growling softly and looking angry and confused.

"You know him, fox?" Hiei asked quietly. It was hardly necessary, the noise would probably only confuse the Kuronue look-alike (for that was what I'd decided the man had to be) more, considering the possibly overwhelming amount of unfamiliarity in the unbelievably accurate senses of a bat.

"Kuronue," I murmured softly. "Or at least… he looks like him… but it's obvious he's not used to Kuronue's senses…"

"Hn," Hiei replied. This time, it was the 'hn' he used when he didn't know what in the world he was meant to say. He knew who Kuronue was, I'd spilled everything to him after I'd killed the fake.

"Yes, hn," I replied, moving towards the figure slowly, cautiously, looking for any signs of attack. He'd apparently dropped one of his scythes somewhere along the way, but he still had one at his belt.

I raised an eyebrow when the Kuronue look-alike began to swear in some other language, snarling softly in what sounded like oddly accented English. Or at least, the words sounded English – obviously, we'd never been taught swear words in English class.

"Kuronue?" I spoke up, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder cautiously. He immediately swatted it away. I noted the fact that his aim was way off, as if he expected his bodily proportions to be different. My guess was that this newly awakened body of his was completely different to his old one, taller and more powerful, perhaps with weight in different places. Actually, judging by the exact imbalance of weight, all evidence would suggest that this person had previously been female…

"Kuronue!" I said again, laying a hand gently on his arm. He swatted it away again, stumbling around to face me in that odd combination of graceful and clumsy. I met him halfway, putting a hand on his shoulder and facing him directly, so that he could see me.

For a second, everything went silent. Even the sensory energy paused in midair. His stumbling gait stopped completely, and his arm paused halfway to swatting my hand away from him. Indigo blue eyes widened, followed by two blinks.

Then, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed in a dead faint.

"Judging by his reaction, I'd guess he knows you. Back from the dead, maybe?" Hiei spoke up suddenly, startling me momentarily.

"No, Koenma said that he wasn't from any part of this dimension, realm of the dead or otherwise. We'll have to wait until he wakes up before we get some answers, it would seem."

Hiei snorted. "Perhaps you will, but not me."

I rolled my eyes at his impatience. "You can read his mind _after_ we've gotten him back to Genkai's."

"Hn."

And with that, he leaned down and picked the bat demon up, slinging him over his shoulder. It was quite comical to see, considering the difference in heights – even folded in two, the Kuronue look-alike's ponytail dragged in the dirt as Hiei walked.

"Perhaps I should carry him," I suggested with a smile.

"Hn," Hiei scowled, throwing the unconscious body at me like a sack of potatoes. I caught the Kuronue look-alike, rearranging him more comfortably, so that I was holding him in my arms with his head leaning against my chest.

Hiei began off in the other direction, and I followed, though still looking down at the unconscious man… no, boy. This close, it became obvious that there were many differences between this one and the original Kuronue.

For instance, his face was different, his features more youthful. His body, too. The exact shape was the same, but he seemed… different. Younger, more slender, if even a little effeminate. It wasn't in the shape or build of his body, that was the same as ever, it was more in the way he held himself.

Apart from that, though, his wings were different. They were larger than they had been before, probably due to the fact that neither of them were crippled as they had been on Kuronue. This one's ability to fly would be perfect, though I wasn't sure if that would be a blessing or a curse. The only weakness Kuronue had ever had was a slight imbalance when fighting an opponent to the right, due to his crippled wing. If he became an alliance, as I hoped he would, then he would be a powerful one. However, as an enemy, he would be tough to beat.

Of course, this was only assuming that he regained his ease and balance. If his senses remained a jumbled mess as they were when we'd found him, he'd almost certainly end up driven insane by it. It was unlikely, though. Even now, as he slept, his sensory energies were slowly correcting their flow as his mind slowly accepted the change.

I looked down at the sleeping form and smiled softly.

'_I wonder if he's the same…'_ I pondered.

'_It's not likely. Even if it turns out he and Kuronue are alike, there are still going to be differences, because he'll have been brought up differently,'_ Youko replied.

The bundle in my arms moved a little, snuggling closer to me in a particularly effeminate manner.

'_And if he is different? If he remembers nothing?'_

'…_we'll just have to wait and see,'_ he replied simply with a sigh.

I sighed audibly.

"Something wrong, fox?" Hiei asked. I gave another sigh.

"Just thinking… I've told you what Kuronue was to me before… I'm just wondering if I should let myself get my hopes up, I mean, for all we know, this is just an upper class shape-shifter who accidentally made himself look like Kuronue. Hell, maybe the reason he's so unused to this body is because men don't exist in whatever dimension he came from… which, come to think of it, would make a lot of sense…"

"Do you want me to just check his mind and be done with it? You're going to drive yourself insane at this rate."

I gave him an awkward smile. "If you don't mind…?"

He smirked and gave a 'hn', reaching up to unwrap his headband. I stopped running as the Jagan eye slowly opened, Hiei pausing beside me, to avoid crashing into any objects due to running with his eyes closed.

For what couldn't possibly be as long a time as it felt, Hiei and I stood there, in the demon-infested forest, myself standing with an unconscious boy in my arms, and he with only his third eye open. Finally, he spoke up.

"He's not Kuronue. More likely his resurrection, or at least that's my guess. His form changed when he came here because there is no such thing as demons, where he's from. He doesn't have Kuronue's memories, but he knows you, and me, and almost every person of any importance at all in this dimension. The toddler wasn't joking when he said that anything was possible in this other dimension. As for the rest… I believe that's his story to tell, when he wakes up."

I nodded distractedly, chewing on my lip as I pondered the answers.

'_His resurrection, huh?'_ Youko repeated, just as distractedly.

'_So then what?'_ I asked.

'_We wait until he wakes up and tells the rest of his story.'_

'_In other words, you have about as much of a clue as I do.'_

'_You know it,'_ he replied in an extremely rare moment of agreement.

So, that's it for today… this chapter's a lot more serious than the last one, and you can be expecting a bit of that for a little while. Sorry, I'll do my best to add a little humour here and there… after all, what do we read these OC fics for?

Now, onto the reviews!

ThePastIsThePast: sorry, I tried to make this chapter a little longer. I hope you like it.

Toukitoshi's broken heart: it's just her luck, isn't it? She's in the Yu Yu Hakusho dimension with all her favourite bishies, and she looks like a bishie herself. Poor girl. Anyway, thanks for your review!

Toujiko: um… sorry, I couldn't go into the fangirls' torture this chapter. Maybe I'll do a little scene after Raven's got her act together, and we'll all laugh as the fangirls run around trying desperately to squash the flames. After all, who _doesn't_ like to see Kurama's fan club tortured?

blackpanzer: thanks so much! I was so nervous about posting a story on for the first time, but I got so much great feedback! Anyway, here's the chapter, and I'll try to update again soon.

I was wondering if I should make this into a Yaoi fic. I don't think Raven's ever going to turn back into a girl, and I prefer to do KuramaxOC fanfiction… does anyone have an opinion on that? Or a better idea? If you do, please tell me!

R&R!


	3. Upon Waking

(Raven's POV)

…that was a weird dream. Well, not so much weird as compared to normal, but strange when you compare it to the usual dreams. Dreams are composed of random unprocessed information, fed back to you during your sleep. For instance, once, after health class followed by a trip to the zoo, and then an afternoon of watching cartoons, I'd dreamt that I was a monkey that ate the light bulbs that sprung up over people's heads when they had an idea, because it seemed obvious that they were an essential part of a balanced diet. Later, the complete lack of logic hit me, but during the dream, everything had made perfect sense.

This dream just now had been very different. Confusion, yes, but it was a confusion that made sense by general logic, rather than just psychedelic swirly colours and people saying things which really shouldn't have made sense but actually did. If senses so strong as those in the dream were to suddenly just _appear_, it would stand to reason that confusion would follow whilst the brain tried to process it all.

In fact, that horrible feeling of wrongness was still there. I was in a bed at least, this time, though it felt oddly different to my usual one. The wrongness still lingered about my limbs, the ease with which they moved and the strength with which they made contact, the places they touched with each other, the sensations I felt.

Not only that, but the room I was in seemed to smell like pine wood and dust, rather than my own rooms scent, a sort of like a library (due to excessive comic books), but with a hint of vanilla candles and one of the more subtle brands of women's deodorant. Not to mention the annoyingly loud noises all around me, it was as if someone had recorded all the normal sounds you'd expect to hear in a house in the middle of a forest and was playing them in my ear at volume eleven.

It didn't seem to be home at all, I'd say. There were four other presences in the house, a wizened, elderly flame of energy, extremely powerful, and a subtler presence, more youthful, but extremely cold. I could also feel a cool, soothing presence, one that made me think of roses and trickery, and another darker, smouldering presence.

…wait a second, why should I even be able to feel these in the first place? I couldn't see them, I couldn't smell them, I couldn't hear them… _shouldn't _hear them. Actually, I could hear them quite well, for some odd reason. And my hearing was doing something very funny indeed.

I immediately cut off that train of thought, knowing that the best way to solve this would be to open my eyes and check around me with the only sense that didn't seem to have changed.

So, I sat up slowly, opening my eyes to look at my surroundings, hoping to god that my sight hadn't changed as well. An intense wave of relief hit me when it turned out that nothing was _too_ different. It simply seemed to be perceiving things a little oddly.

I seemed to be in an old Japanese house. The warm bed I was lying in turned out to be a futon, which was only slightly less disturbing than the forest I'd come to in previously – let's face it, the fact that I was in a futon meant it was possible that I was in Japan.

I inhaled deeply, stopping that thought right there. My brain honestly wasn't up to processing much at that moment – I should puzzle everything together _after_ I'd figured out the facts.

A tiny movement caught the edges of my vision, and I turned to the left to check the source. What I found there was a mirror.

I blinked twice, trying to comprehend what I was seeing there.

A man was staring back at me, sitting upright on the futon, covers up to his waist, with my blank expression on his handsome features. He was wearing his full demon garb, the one I'd seen him with in the movie, with the tight leather pants and the straps around his arms and the tie-up leather shirt (that left _nothing_ to the imagination), and that white cloth thing he tucked around his waist, and that topless hat-headband thing. The wings sat behind him, albeit slightly bigger than I remembered, and his ears were pointy as ever. But another thing that really threw me for a loop was that the image of Kuronue staring back at me was in full anime.

I reached out to touch the reflection, and the reflection reached out towards me. The unfamiliar feeling of a too-long arm was niggling at the back of my head, but it wasn't that bad, now that I could see my arms. I ignored it.

Concentrating for a minute, I found that I did indeed have wings on my back – wings which I seemed to be able to move. I could feel them, like they were just another part of my body… I suppose they were, come to think of it.

I raised them high, like one of those animals that flares out its more surprising or colourful features to scare predators. Then I spread them wide, as if I was going to take flight. Then, I drew them around me in an almost-hug. The reflection copied everything.

I reached up with my hand to touch one pointed ear, tracing a finger up the long outer edge until I reached the tip. I prodded it twice, feeling the pointed tip, and then traced my finger back down to touch the place they would have been pierced, squeezing the skin between my fingers.

I turned away from the mirror and sat back in bed, spreading my wings and drawing them around myself again, so that I could see them in front of me. I reached out and touched them, and was slightly surprised by how sensitive they were compared to the rest of my body, which now seemed a lot more resilient to pain. It made sense, I suppose – after all, my body, now male and extremely muscular, would be more difficult to hurt compared to a thin female form which had never been exposed to pain. My wings, however, would be quite delicate and easy to pierce if someone were ever to get this close to me.

All right… so this was proof enough. I now had the appearance of Kuronue, and apparently his abilities as well. Now, what could have caused this?

I reached up absentmindedly to fiddle with the pendant. The action was reflexive, and I hardly noticed that I had no trouble locating it as I usually would have had with the unfamiliar limbs.

Then, something clicked, and I looked down at the pendant. I'd found it yesterday and woken up here the following morning. What else could it have been?

I blame my slowness on my reluctance to think too much in the given situation. Either that, or it was Kuronue's thought patterns. I swear, it wasn't mine…

I blinked twice, suddenly noticing the stores of knowledge sitting innocently in the back of my head as if they'd always been there. There were no floods of memories or sudden uncontrollable impulses. It wasn't coming back, bit by bit, as I surveyed my surroundings. It was just _there_, as if I'd been the one to learn it, all by myself, and I simply couldn't remember where. It was a little confusing, though, considering the fact that I had two sets of information concerning bodily movement and functions.

I closed my eyes, sitting back in my bed and closing my eyes to sift through the new information, snickering all the while. That's my general reaction to a bad situation – laugh for a while, then sit back and figure out the implications of whatever's happened.

_Raven's strange luck strikes again…_

(Kurama's POV)

I gave another sigh, sipping my tea. I was sitting in one of the many dining rooms of Genkai's house. The paper sliding doors were open, both allowing the air to flow freely through the room, and allowing me to keep an eye on Hiei, who was sitting in a tree, his sword propped up against his shoulder, and his eyes closed. I couldn't actually tell whether or not he was sleeping, but I guessed that he wasn't.

It had been almost two hours since we'd brought the Kuronue look-alike back. Koenma had told us to stay, just in case it turned out he _was_ dangerous after all. Yukina had prepared a room for him in record time, and Koenma had quickly excused himself, saying that if he stayed away from the office for too long, paperwork would begin to build up.

Now, I was sitting here, listening as the sensory energy slowly grew more and more orderly, and then slowly concealed itself so that it wouldn't give the bat's position away. However, with my senses, and my knowledge of Kuronue's power, I could still keep track of how the boy in the other room was doing, with a little difficulty.

Finally, almost two hours after we'd brought him back, he regained consciousness. For a second, there was a burst of confusion in the now concealed sensory energies, but it quickly faded. I felt the energies probing about momentarily, scoping out the surroundings and quickly sending the results back to their owner.

Finally, the energies settled down. I turned to Yukina.

"Yukina, our guest has woken up. I believe it would be a good idea for you to go and see him, considering the unfavourable results of our first meeting."

"Oh, he's awake? You're right, I think it might be a good idea for me to go and see him. He's probably very hungry."

The timid koorime got to her feet and left. I listened as her quick, gentle footsteps moved down the hall, and the door slid open. I felt a quick jolt of energy around us, and sat back to listen in.

Well, that's it for today. Sorry, this update's a lot shorter than the last one. I was sick last week, so I could write as often as I wanted, but I'm going back to school this week, so I might not be able to update quite as often.

Toujiko: How do you mean that, it was a suspenseful chapter? I'm a bit confused about that, I didn't mean for it to be. Yeah, I know, 'beacon' is a funny word to read. Sometimes, I read a word wrong, and I go through the whole chapter thinking it said something which throws the whole story dramatically out of whack.

Blackpanzer: thanks! I'll try to put more of the combustable fangirls in future. Kurama's fangirls are so fun to torture, they're so easy! I wonder how they'll react when they see Kurama kissing a guy? giggles Anyway, thanks for the review, I'll try to update again soon! Ja ne!


	4. Author's Note

Wow… I must really suck if I'm doing one of these after only three chapters of my first story. I'm really sorry, I had school this week, and I didn't have time to write… I've got the next three days off, though, so I should be able to update before next week.

Anyway, before I write the next chapter, I need an opinion on a few things. First of all, should it be a yaoi KuramaxOC fic? I've had one vote for it being that, and one vote for Raven turning back into a girl and getting together with Kurama. I really wasn't planning on turning Raven back into a girl, but if it's what everyone votes for, I'll do it.

Also, I was wondering if I should add another OC to the fic, maybe just after Raven's recovered enough to join the Reikai Tantei and go back to school and everything. I was thinking of adding a pyromaniac resurrection of Karasu, with an obsession over either Hiei or Koenma (in his teenage form, of course). What's your take on it? Should I add the resurrection of Karasu, and if so, should I give him an obsession over Hiei or Koenma, or someone else?

If anyone has any other suggestions, please tell me. I've got plenty of ideas for this fic, but new ideas and suggestions are always welcome. I always like to know what kind of fics everyone likes (I know my yaoi-obsessed tastes are a bit odd, especially for someone writing an OC fic).

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this. Please, tell me your opinion!

Signed, Randomnatrix.


	5. Explanations and an Anime

Hello, I'm back. Sorry about the Author's note – I just really needed to know whether or not it would be a yaoi fic before writing the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Heck, I hardly even own my OC, and that's gotta tell you something about my creativity, or lack thereof.

And now, on with the chapter!

(Raven's POV)

My ears pricked as I heard words. Bats had supersonic hearing, and it would appear that bat demons were at least as sensitive, if not more so.

"_Yukina, our guest has woken up. I believe it would be a good idea for you to go and see him, considering the unfavourable results of our first meeting."_

I smiled at the voice of Kurama, otherwise known as Shuichi Minamino, and the words he said. Yes, I suppose it _might_ be a good idea to make sure I was still sane, preferably without making me faint again. The last thing I remembered was the beautiful face and the concerned green eyes of Kurama, and then everything went sparkly, and then it all went black. Whoops.

"_Oh, he's awake? You're right, I think it might be a good idea for me to go and see him. He's probably very hungry."_

Typical timid Yukina response. She'd have been a perfect housewife in the days when the rule was 'sit down, shut up and don't drop anything'. Unfortunately, it was no longer those days, but I'm sure she'd still find a suitable man to be with.

An image of Kuwabara entered my head and I shuddered.

_I said a **suitable** husband! Now tell me, in what way is Kuwa**baka** suitable?_

I shuddered again.

Then, the sliding door opened. I looked around and saw Yukina standing in the doorway, big surprise _there_. Keh.

"Ah, hello there. Your name's Yukina, right?" I spoke up cheerfully, hardly even startled by the now masculine timbre of my voice. I was getting used to the confusion and surprises that seemed to be lurking around every corner.

Yukina smiled at me.

"That's right. Mister Hiei said that you knew everyone here, but he thought we should wait for you to wake up and explain it for yourself."

_How thoughtful of him._

"Ah… well, would you mind terribly if I just explained it to you, and then you could explain it to everyone else? I'm really not up to seeing a lot of people right now, but I'm sure that the others are dying of curiosity, considering the person I seem to resemble at the moment."

"That would be just fine," she replied. "You're right, the others _are_ rather curious, particularly mister Kurama, and Lord Koenma is rather worried. Hiei wouldn't tell him exactly where you came from – only that you're not a threat."

"Oh. What do you mean, 'exactly where I'm from'? I'm afraid I'm not exactly sure what happened, I just woke up in the forest, and then I stumbled around for a bit trying to figure out what was going on, and then I saw Kurama, and that was a bit of a shock, because I honestly didn't think he was actually _real_… I guess I fainted. Sorry about that, by the way."

"Oh, that's fine. Well, you see, around 2:30 this afternoon, a portal appeared in the forest near Genkai's place. Lord Koenma sent his ogres over. It only took a little while for them to find out that the portal led to another dimension. Not just Reikai or Makai, but an entirely different plain of existence. Lord Koenma said that there was something in a different dimension creating a beacon to this realm and opening the portal. That meant only one thing could get through, the thing with the item that was beaconing to this realm, but that one thing could literally be almost anything. Mister Kurama and mister Hiei were sent for, and shortly after they arrived, the portal closed, and they went off to find whatever had come out. When they got back, mister Kurama was carrying you in his arms. Even though mister Hiei said you weren't dangerous, Lord Koenma ordered him and mister Kurama to stay here, just in case," she explained. "So, what about you?"

"Okay, let's see here. Where to begin… well, to start with, my name's Raven, and when I fell asleep last night, I was a completely normal, _human_ teenager…" I contemplated for a moment whether or not I should tell her I was originally a girl, but decided not to. That would just cause general awkwardness. "I live in Australia… come to think of it, I'm not even sure exactly _how_ I know Japanese. I dunno, I just had all this information in my head when I woke up, I guess Japanese is part of the package." I shrugged. "Anyway, I found this pendant on the sidewalk yesterday afternoon on my way home from school, I guess that was the 'beacon' Koenma was talking about." I paused, trying to figure out how to phrase the next part. "And as for how I know all of you people, well, you see, back in my dimension, there's this anime called 'Yu Yu Hakusho', and all you guys are a part of it. Weird, huh?"

Yukina's eyes were quite wide by this point. "Oh, my. Lord Koenma was not exaggerating when he said that anything was possible in some dimension or another."

"Heh, I guess he wasn't… wow, I wonder if _every_ TV show back in my realm is actually a reality in some realm or another…"

"I suppose so," Yukina replied thoughtfully. Then, she blinked and turned to me with wide eyes. "Oh, uh, I forgot to ask, are you feeling all right? You've been out for two hours. Are you hungry? Is there anything you need?"

"Well, I still feel kind of weird in general, and I'm having trouble getting used to all the signals I'm getting from this body, so I'm not really sure if I'm okay or not… uh, maybe you could come back in a few hours and I'll see if I have a clue _then_?" I requested with a sheepish grin. Yukina gave a little giggle.

"Alright, I'll come back and see how you're feeling around dinnertime. If you're feeling any better, you can come out and join us, but if you're not, I'll bring some here for you."

"Thanks. By the way, I'm really sorry for causing all this trouble…" I said, allowing guilt to tinge my voice.

"Oh, that's alright, it's no trouble at all," she replied with a sweet smile.

(Kurama's POV)

"_Thanks. By the way, I'm really sorry for causing all this trouble…"_

"_Oh, that's alright, it's no trouble at all."_

I smiled softly. This boy was certainly an interesting character. He had similarities to Kuronue, but he was different in many ways. The impression I got was one of a person who was always joking, laughing, smiling, and yet still meant every word that they spoke with as much seriousness as Koenma in an emergency situation or Kuwabara when he spoke of his beliefs about not hitting women.

'_He certainly **is** interesting…'_ Youko commented. _'And from what he says, he seems to have gained everything Kuronue had, except for his memories. Do you suppose that means we'll be the same to him now as we were then?'_

'_I don't think so. He may inherit some base instincts of Kuronue's, but for all we know, it's possible that Raven is totally straight,'_ I replied.

'_It would be the least of our worries if he were. It wouldn't be the first time we've made a straight man change his mind,' _Youko gave a soft chuckle.

'_Perhaps, but before we try anything, I think it would be a good idea to first evaluate whether or not we even feel anything for Raven. Regardless of what he knows or who he looks like, he doesn't deserve to be seduced by someone who only cares for the man whose appearance he shares.'_

Youko sighed. _'I suppose you're right… but honestly, I don't think that'll be a problem. Raven is desirable in all the ways that Kuronue was, but different in all the ways that make him Raven. He has everything that Kuronue had to make us feel as if we could never love anyone else, but he's different in every other way.'_

'_You're presuming a great deal. We should not assume we know him so well, considering the fact that we've only listened in on a few sentences and a short explanation that were not even said to our faces. I for one believe that it would be best to wait and get to know him better before we attempt anything.'_

Youko rolled his eyes mentally. _'Whatever, as long as you make a move sooner or later, I'll be happy to sit back and watch. But know this, if you take too long to make a move, then I'll take over in your sleep and do it for you.'_

I winced.

'_I'll try not to take any more time than necessary. However, I will not rush this either. After all, Kuronue has been gone for centuries. I'm sure we can both wait a little longer.'_

Youko's only reply was a growl, and then he retreated into the back of our head.

"Mister Kurama?" came the voice of Yukina. I looked up to see her standing in the doorway.

"Yukina," I addressed the Koorime. "I take it our guest is feeling alright, then?"

"He's couldn't tell me, I'm afraid. He mentioned that his body was sending him odd signals, so he wasn't sure whether he was feeling pain or not. I suppose it must be a huge shock to suddenly wake up in the body of a demon, especially one so powerful. He says he should be able to figure it out eventually, though, since he seems to have inherited almost all the knowledge your friend had. I guess he just needs some time to go through it all," she explained.

I smiled.

"I suppose that's only to be expected. He's been through quite an ordeal. Honestly, I'm surprised he's taking it so well."

"Yes, I think that too…" she sighed, looking downcast. "He's been taken away from his family and his friends and everyone that mattered to him, thrown into a world he thought was just a story, not even allowed to draw on his own knowledge when it comes to language and culture. I really hope he's okay."

"Don't worry, Yukina, I'm sure he will be. But, I _do_ have to wonder what's going to happen to him. After all, from what Koenma said, there is a distinct possibility that he won't be able to go home. That brings up the question of where he will stay, whether or not he'll continue his education, and so on." I bit my lip. "I'll go over it with Koenma and see whether he has any preferences. In the meantime, though, I think it would be best for him to stay here with Genkai and yourself." I looked up to her face. "I hope that's not a problem?"

"Oh, no, that's not a problem with me at all. I'm sure Master Genkai won't mind either. It's a long way from the city, though, I'm afraid, so he might have to move out if it turns out he's going to school here…" she replied hesitantly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find a solution if complications arise," I assured the timid koorime. "On the other hand, though, it's obvious that he's somewhat overwhelmed by all this, and if he has Kuronue's hearing, it's likely that he's overheard every word we've said. If my presence is in fact no longer required here, than I think it would be a good idea for me to leave."

"Uh…? Oh, that's fine. Mister Hiei said he was alright, and he doesn't seem dangerous, and even if it turns out he is, I'm sure it's nothing master Genkai won't be able to handle."

It was about then that my rather sensitive hearing picked up on a noise from the other room, accompanied by an odd fluctuation in the energy about us.

That's odd… if I didn't know better, I'd say he was… angered…

I'm really sorry for cutting it off there, and for making the chapter so short, but I really didn't have time. I promise I'll try to update again as soon as I can, to make up for going almost a whole week without doing so. It makes me feel really guilty if I don't.

Anyway, just to clarify, when I say a 'pyromaniac resurrection of Karasu', I mean another character like Raven. It has to be someone she knew, of course – either a best friend or a rival at school. Or maybe another fanfiction writer Raven knew on the internet. I don't know, any suggestions? But, she'll be a pyromaniac, and if you add Karasu's power, I'm sure you can imagine all the chaotic situations I'm thinking up.

By the way, I need some opinions on the pairings for this fic. Blackpanzer voted for Karasu coming in when Kurama started to have feelings for Raven and have Karasu become obsessed with Raven. And Hiei. I really like her suggestion, but it inspired a few other ideas, and I'd really like a second opinion on it.

Raven likes Kurama, but Kurama doesn't seem to like him, so he gets together with 'Karasu', who wants Hiei. Meanwhile, Kurama and Hiei actually return their affections, so when their love interests get together, they get together as well out of shared sympathy. Then, somewhere near the end of the fic, all this is resolved, and Kurama gets together with Raven and Hiei gets together with 'Karasu'.

Same as 1, but ends with a four-way instead of two separate relationships, because Hiei and Kurama ended up loving each other genuinely, and vice versa for 'Karasu' and Raven.

Raven likes Hiei and Kurama, so he goes with Hiei. Then he realizes he likes Kurama better and goes with him. Hiei feels all sad and dejected, but then 'Karasu' appears, they get together, and they all live happily ever after.

Same as 3, but morphs into a four-way relationship somewhere near the end of the fic.

By the way, I was going to introduce 'Karasu' by having him kidnap Hiei, because of lingering fangirl reflexes combined with the odd habits of our favourite bomb-obsessed crow. Then, they'll develop one of those bonds… hostage syndrome, I think it's called. Anyone got an opinion on that?

Now, onto the reviews.

Mierkai: KxK? You mean Kuronue x Kurama? Yes, that's what I was planning on, but blackpanzer had some very good ideas involving Hiei and the 'Karasu' OC, too. As for the pyromaniac Karasu resurrection, I think you may have gotten the wrong idea. It'll be another OC, like Raven. But honestly, I don't think Karasu's all that bad – I always go for the creepy, insane characters, but then again, that's just me.

blackpanzer: …you know, I'm starting to wonder about something. Every time I update, you always seem to have a review within a few hours. How often do you check this fic, anyway?

…ahem, now that I have that off my chest. Thanks for your suggestions, you have some very good ideas. You just gave me a whole lot of inspiration for the pairings in this fic. Thank you very much for your review!


	6. Fangs and other Annoyances

_Hi, I'm sorry for the wait. School was being really mean to me. I mean, I thought I had at least another few weeks before the teachers started piling on the assignments, but then I blinked and it was half way through the term! I really hate it when that happens._

_Disclaimer: do I look like I own Yu Yu Hakusho? Wait a second, you wouldn't know, you can't see me… alright. I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Happy now?_

_Oh, by the way, there's a bit of Kuwabara bashing in this chapter. Nothing really bad, though – just Hiei discussing his intelligence and some basic methods of torture with Raven._

(Raven's POV)

"_Uh…? Oh, that's fine. Mister Hiei said he was alright, and he doesn't seem dangerous, and even if it turns out he is, I'm sure it's nothing master Genkai won't be able to handle."_

Huh? Hiei said I was alright…? But wouldn't that mean… did that shrimp read my mind while I was out cold! How dare he!

I growled audibly.

And as for Genkai being able to handle it if it came down to me fighting her… No way! I would rip that woman apart if it came down to it! I was stronger, faster, and Kuronue's abilities were much stronger than they gave him credit for on the show and in fanfiction. His main abilities were those of a nightwalker – running, hiding, and watching (grr…). He had speed, strength, and skill, to begin with. Then, he had his mist – once again, it was better than those fanfiction writers always gave him credit for. Really, it was an extension of his body. He could move it and feel it like an extra limb. Not only that, but it had all sorts of enchantments and illusions on it, too. Within it, a person's senses, hearing, smell, and so on, could only pick up on the things they could see or feel.

His best ability, though (at least in my opinion), was his ability to unravel and observe spiritual energy. He could catch it in his hands, with little to no effort, lock onto the wavelength, steal it, pick it apart and see how it works. Of course, it only worked if it was thrown at him (like Genkai's attacks would have been). It wouldn't do a thing if his opponent were to channel it into something, like how Kurama channelled his energy into plants.

But, to put it simply, Kuronue's abilities were more than enough to beat that old hag Genkai. He could nullify her attacks _and_ her senses and leave her wandering around in a mist so thick she'd bump into trees as she walked.

Then, my reflection in the mirror caught my eye. Wow, I didn't know I could pull off that sort of smirk… did I really derive _that_ much pleasure from the thought of Genkai (incidentally one of my favourite characters) walking around bumping into trees…? I shook my head, and by the time I looked at the mirror again, the considerably demonic expression had disappeared. Somewhere in the back of my head, I registered a few parting words from Kurama as he left, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

Huh… that was weird. Honestly, I wouldn't usually have been that riled up over just a minor insult to the power of someone who wasn't even really me. In fact, I usually had a pretty long fuse, probably due to the fact that I couldn't tell the difference between an insult and 'constructive criticism' to my personality. Maybe it was just Kuronue's… _my_ demon instincts. But honestly, Kuronue seemed like a pretty nice guy on the show, not the kind of guy who'd get riled up over the slightest insult…

Then, I remembered the other thing that had me riled up.

Dammit, he read my mind, that little half-pint fire-ice-apparition… thing!

I snarled. Then, the reflection of my teeth in the mirror caught my attention, and I distracted myself again, this time with the fact that I didn't seem to have fangs. Weird, you'd think a bat demon would have fangs. It was just an automatic connection I made. I thought back to the series and tried to recall whether or not Kuronue did or didn't have fangs. The series put plenty of emphasis on Hiei's fangs, but not Kuronue's…

My expression warped into a scowl again. Thoughts of Hiei had brought back thoughts of anger. I would have words with him later. Of course, him having read my mind meant that he knew of my obsession with several characters of this show, including him, Kurama, and several others. Not only that, but he also knew of my actual gender. Keh, whatever. He had blackmail on me, but I personally think that my knowledge of his situation concerning his half-blood sibling was a little more worrying than the fact of gender, which I was really only hiding to avoid uncomfortable situations.

Hmm… let's ponder on that for a second. What would happen if I told everyone I was a girl in a guy's body? Yusuke would probably tease me about it. Kuwabara might go into a rant about manliness or something stupid and insist on going on some epic quest to turn me back into a girl. Kurama… I'm not sure what he'd do. Probably bite back a laugh like I've seen him do a few times in the anime, but keep his opinion to himself. He seems like an open-minded guy, anyway. As for Hiei… well, he already knew, but he'd probably just go 'hn', maybe smirk for a little while. Stupid mind-reading koorime. Stupid made-up monosyllabic word.

Grr…

"Having fun?" a familiar, monotonous voice sounded from the window. Sure enough, upon looking up, I met the dark crimson eyes of our favourite fire demon.

I pouted, not even pausing to think about how wrong the expression must look now. "Did you read my mind while I was out cold?"

"The kitsune needed answers," he replied simply, settling down comfortably on the window sill.

"And exactly how much information did you give him?" I asked. "It's not that I've got anything to hide, I'm sure you know… it's just that there's a certain issue which would just cause general awkwardness if anyone knew…"

"Hn. All I told him was that you weren't Kuronue and that you knew everyone here. The rest is _your_ story to tell, and my information to keep so that you don't let slip a certain _fact_ concerning the issue of any blood-ties I might share with another 'character'."

"Huh…? Oh,_ that_ fact. Don't worry, I won't tell if you don't. I mean, in real life, I was always rooting for you to tell her, because it was anime and of _course_ she'd accept it, but now it's reality rather than just a storybook, and I guess it's always possible it won't happen. I still think it doesn't mean anything, though. I mean, she accepts you just fine as a friend, I don't see why it would be any different as a sibling. But then again, I guess you don't see it that way, so I'll leave it up to you and stop rambling."

He just gave a glare. "Keep in mind that this information you have is the only thing stopping me from telling everyone your secrets."

I laughed. "If it comes down to it, I'll just have to make up something about you and, shall we say, Mukuro. After all, I'm from a realm where I would know everything if it had actually happened, and they won't be any the wiser if I lie."

He growled. Then, I saw him reach for his katana, as if in slow motion. Then, he was headed towards me, and then there was a katana heading for me… and then my hand was raised to meet it in thin air. I blinked twice, surveying the blade held between my index finger and thumb.

"Wow, I didn't know I could do that… demon reflexes, what fun." I laughed. Hiei growled audibly. A thought occurred to me. "Oh my god, I can't believe it, I am actually holding Hiei's sword!" I gave a fangirlish squeal. Then, I paused and did a double take. "…that sounded wrong."

Hiei had a strange expression on his face. I don't know what it was, it looked like a weird hybrid between the 'I just realized I'm talking to a lunatic' expression and the 'I'm still trying to be angry at you over here so stop being funny!' expression, with just a hint of added disbelief. Then, he bit his lip. His shoulders were shaking… was he _laughing_ at me!

Wait a second… was he _really_ laughing at me? Did I really do that? Dude, I really need to lay off the crack…

The Jaganshi finally finished snickering.

"It won't take long for the kitsune to figure out your secret if you keep acting like that," he commented, pulling his sword away and re-sheathing it.

I smiled brightly. "Don't worry, I don't plan on it. I mean, I _might_ act a bit fruity, but hey, if you guys can accept Kuwabaka, or at least not slaughter him mercilessly, I'm sure that getting used to my quirks won't be that much of a stretch. For all anyone knows, I'm just a bit weird upstairs, but then again, I'd say everyone on your 'team' is at least a little weird upstairs in their own way. Especially you and Kurama. And Kuwabaka is an idiot with idiotic ideals. I hate Kuwabaka. In fact, I honestly think he should have died a long time ago. What about you?"

Hiei snorted. "It's nice to know someone has their priorities straight concerning that idiot. I've tried to kill him almost a dozen times to date, but Kurama has managed to foil my plans thus far."

I chuckled. It was a nice sound with my new male voice. Really masculine. You know, I could never quite pull off a nice-sounding chuckle like that with my old voice.

"Eh, don't worry about it. If the moron doesn't trip and fall on something sharp, he'll end up dying in a few decades anyway. He's human, after all."

Hiei smirked sadistically. My stomach felt weird. It seemed to like that look.

"Either that, or he'll grow up to be a beggar and end up borrowing money from the mob, and they'll violently lynch him off by tearing off his limbs slowly and painfully…" he commented with a slightly dreamy look in his eyes.

"Nah, he's got too much 'manly pride' to do something like that. He'll starve to death on the streets slowly and painfully, maybe even with a few nasty diseases if we're lucky." I snickered. "And you'll probably be sitting there dangling a chicken leg over his head and cackling evilly all the while."

He snickered evilly at the thought, looking off into thin air with an expression that could aptly be described as 'demonic', 'sadistic', or perhaps 'sinister'.

"Yes, that sounds like fun. Assuming that happens, I believe I will track him down in his final moments to do just that. Oh, I will get him back for all the time I've been forced to spend listening to him going on about his all of his moronic human ideals…"

"Not to mention all the times he's courted Yukina. It's not getting him anywhere, but it's still excruciating to watch. I remember this one time, I woke up in a really good mood, but my mom had done something and I wanted to come off as pissed, so I watched the episode where Kuwabaka tied that ridiculous headband around his head and went on babbling about how he was going to rescue Yukina by following that thing… the 'red pinky string of love', I think that's what he called it. By the time I was done… well, let's just say, my mom apologised to me at length, and she was very careful not to upset me for months afterwards for fear of a repeat performance."

Hiei snarled, displaying a set of pointy fangs. So cute! "I agree with you wholeheartedly on that one, and I don't care what Koenma says. If that fool ever so much as touches Yukina, I will make _sure_ he never has children."

I snickered. "Yes, I'd say that's a good idea. Just think, if he and Yukina were ever to marry, you'd acquire a new brother in law." I watched in amusement as the Jaganshi's crimson eyes widened in barely suppressed horror. This was followed by a visible shudder.

"Don't even joke about that…" he growled, his body giving another shudder. I held up my hands defensively.

"Just stating a fact. Anyway, Yukina's smarter than that. In fact, I always thought she might've had something for Koenma in his teenage form… I guess that's a bit better than Kuwabaka at least, huh?"

Hiei's eyes widened just a little further, and his body gave another series of shudders. I'd say he wasn't too keen on the idea.

"Don't worry, I'm just kidding," I laughed at the apparition's reaction. He really _was_ cute. "Hey, did you ever stop to think that maybe, if you kept the matter of sibling bonds from her for too long, she might read too much into your behaviour towards her and start to develop a crush on you?" I flopped back on the bed and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I mean, it's quite possible, come to think of it, considering you act differently toward her than you do with everyone else. And anyway, everything else aside… you're still better than the alternative. And by the alternative, I mean Kuwabaka."

"Hn. Even if that happened, it wouldn't be a problem. Demons bloodlines are hardier than those of humans, our genetics are not affected by trivial things like incest. Honestly, I thought you'd gotten all of Kuronue's knowledge."

"Eh, I did, but I haven't gotten time to sift through it all just yet, considering a certain _someone_ interrupted my thinking time." I gave the Jaganshi an accusing glare. He just smirked. "Speaking of time, how long is it 'til nightfall?" I yawned and stretched. "The only sleep I've gotten in the last twelve hours is when I fainted. My real sleeping time was cut short by an inexplicable switch between dimensions, I'm afraid."

"It's still about an hour until nightfall, but If you're tired, you should sleep." He got up to leave. "Kurama will probably come back tomorrow to see how you're doing, so be prepared for that."

"I know, I know," I snuggled into my covers. "G'night…"

"Hn," was the only reply I got, followed by the sound of a window clicking shut as the moody apparition flitted off into the night.

I sighed softly.

'You know, that guy's even more interesting in real life than he is on TV…' I thought to myself as I laid down to sleep.

Two hours later

'Aargh! Stupid… wings! How the hell am I meant to sleep with these things! I can't sleep on my stomach, 'cause they interfere with the blankets, I can't sleep on my back, for obvious reasons, and I can't sleep on my side, or my wings get cramped up! Dammit, now I see why bats sleep upside down!'

I growled, sitting up and turning to glare in the mirror. Kuronue had excellent night vision, so I could see my reflection in the mirror just perfectly.

Eh…? What's that?

I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. I could've sworn my fangs hadn't been that sharp when Hiei came… I'd distracted myself for ages thinking about how I didn't have 'demon teeth' while I'd been trying to get to sleep. Now, my fangs were huge, more noticeable even than Hiei's. In fact, they looked distinctly vampiric.

I tried to recall from my stores of information anything about why a demons' fangs might do a disappearing act. Thirty seconds later, I came up with an answer. Bat demons were creatures of the night, but creatures of the night always seemed less scary when it was light. Kuronue had just a tiny bit of Chimera blood, so I was saved from any drastic effects that might weaken my power, but my appearance naturally seemed more demonic at night – not just my fangs, but I knew my eyes would change to crimson if I felt anger or lust or any other 'red' emotions.

I leaned closer to the mirror, inspecting the fangs. I had to wonder what these were for, because they looked distinctly as if they were meant for some purpose or another. It was either injecting venom or sucking blood, I'm not sure which.

I took a moment to speculate on that, finally coming up with the information I needed. Bat demons were a distant, more advanced relation of vampires. This relation was more prominent in vampires, whose powers were mostly just a weaker version of the ones bat demons had. Bat demons, on the other hand, had little to no similarities to their long lost 'cousins' other than their elongated fangs and their refined taste for blood, both human and demon, rather than just human flesh, like most other demons. It wasn't a necessity, though – just a random craving every now and then.

I sighed.

'That would explain the whole "Whee, blood on silver is pretty and tasty!" incident.'

I flopped down on the bed again. Then, I remembered whole reason I was up in the first place.

'Stupid… wings!'

"Grr…"

Then, the door slid open to reveal Yukina. She'd been working in the kitchen and around the house (but mostly in the kitchen) ever since she'd visited me almost three hours ago. No, I was _not_ eavesdropping! It's just that it's hard _not_ to overhear when you've got hearing like mine.

"Mister Raven?" she asked, reaching around the door to flip the light switch. I suppose night vision was a bat thing rather than just a demon thing.

"Eh…? Oh, hi Yukina. Is something the matter?"

"Well, no, not really. But you asked me to come back in a few hours to see if you were alright," she replied with a smile.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I think I've got my act together for the most part, I mean, it's going to take me ages to go through all this new information I've got, but I'm getting used to the body and all. The wings are a real nuisance when it comes to sleeping, though." I pouted, ruffling said extra limbs in a disgruntled sort of way. Yukina gave a little giggle.

"Will you be joining us for dinner, then?"

"Sure, I guess. Not like I'm going to sleep any time soon anyway. I _would_ just sleep upside down, hanging from the ceiling, but apparently I'm a really light sleeper when I'm like that. 'Light sleeper' meaning I'd wake up if someone within a mile radius is breathing irregularly." I sighed. "Something tells me this whole thing is going to take a _lot_ of getting used to."

She gave me a sad sort of look. I remembered what she'd said earlier, about how I was taking this so well when I couldn't even use my own knowledge of language and culture. There was a long silence, you know, that really awkward one, where you're frantically trying to figure out what you should say and at the same time hoping desperately that the other person's going to come up with something first so that you don't make a fool of yourself. Yukina was the first to break it, thankfully. I always manage to mess it up when I try to break those awkward silences.

"Master Genkai will be joining us for dinner, if that's alright with you," she said, her usual gentle smile back in place now.

"I don't mind," I replied cheerfully, taking a moment to stretch all the cramps out of my muscles before getting out of the futon. "Lead the way!" I declared with a huge smile. Yukina gave a little giggle.

"It's over this way…" she replied, turning around to lead me out of the room.

_There, this chapter is a bit longer than the last one. A bit more humour, too, and we begin to get a better insight into Raven's personality. I'm trying to avoid doing cliffhangers as well – I know how torturous those can be, especially when the authoress suddenly falls into a slump the following chapter and doesn't update for months. I'm sure you all know how it is when that happens, right?_

_By the way, I don't actually know a lot about the original Kuronue – just what I've learned from fanfictions and AMVs. In fanfictions, there are about a thousand rumours about his personality, his powers, and so on. In this fic, I've decided that he'll be mostly bat demon, with a tiny bit of chimera blood (maybe five percent), and I'll base his powers on that._

_Also, CrisscrossAnime has suggested that I make this into a Harry Potter crossover. I was thinking of doing a Harry Potter sequel as it was, but she has asked that I use it in this story as a setting for the relationships to develop. Considering it seriously, it actually sounds like a pretty good idea. Does anyone have an opinion on that? Please, tell me if you do._

_Now, onto the reviews!_

_Mierkai: Thanks for your vote. I personally like that idea the best as well, and everyone else seems to as well. Oh yeah, that's it, Stockholm syndrome. Thanks, I always forget that._

_ThePastIsThePast: Thanks! Yes, everyone's voting for a Kurama/Raven yaoi – honestly, I never intended to do anything else. Just Kurama/Raven and 'Karasu'/Hiei. I just wanted an opinion on how it should shape out. Thanks for your vote, though!_

_blackpanzer: huh? No school? Why? You know, I really envy you. I'm sure the majority of those who attend 'hell's prison on Earth' do as well. Thanks for your suggestions, yeah, that works really well! As for 'Karasu', I think I know what you mean, and if so, I really think that's a good personality for him. But he's also going to be the person who says something every now and then that really makes you wonder about what he was doing last summer, if you know what I mean. Thanks for your review, see you next chapter!_

_CrisscrossAnime: Thanks, it's always nice to know that people like my stories! Yeah, I like the idea of a four-way relationship too, and so does everyone else. I think that's what I'll do. As for adding in Harry Potter, I was thinking of doing that anyway, to add some adventure, like you said. However, Raven's not going to have to 'explore' his powers, as such, because they're pretty much stable from the beginning. Thanks for the suggestion, though!_


	7. Dinner with Genkai

…_Okay, so no Harry Potter. Wow, I never thought I'd get that negative a response to the idea. I mean, usually, after I've written the most basic form of a story, I go on to write a dozen other alternate endings and sequels where I cross it over with every anime, book and movie I know. Just for fun, you know? Every time I watch an anime, I think, 'this is how this OC would act in this situation', and so I write it down for no reason in particular._

_I'm sorry for taking so long to update. My 'muse' was sick this week, and every time I sat down to write, I just couldn't figure out what I was meant to do next. That happens every once in a while._

_Disclaimer: roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own, you don't sue._

(Kurama's POV)

I could hear muffled whispers following me. It didn't matter what I did, I was nearly always followed by whispers, wherever I went. Most of the time, it was fangirls, but once every now and then, I found myself pursued by something worse. Thugs, rapists, and the occasional classmate with a gun (it was usually either 'my long-time girlfriend fell in love with you and broke up with me' or 'I love you but you're too perfect to be gay so I'm going to make sure no one else can have you'). My current pursuers sounded female, though, so there was probably no real cause for concern.

'_They mightn't be any cause for concern, but the fact remains that they're annoying,'_ Youko snarled. His tail was twitching in annoyance. Youko's tail really _was_ fascinating. It had a whole language of motions and reactions depending on his mood. It was actually a whole lot more reliable than facial expressions if you knew how to read it. Sort of like deciphering Hiei's 'hn', or knowing what endearing terms laid behind the insults Genkai and Yusuke tended to throw at each other whenever they spoke.

Then, the titters grew louder. I picked up on a few words. It sounded as if one of them was being encouraged to do something. Finally, a girl with brown hair and hazel eyes stepped forward. She was pretty, but plain. I can honestly say that there wasn't a single thing about her that sparked my interest. She was in a few of my classes – she seemed like a smart girl, but somewhat lacking when it came to humour and self-confidence.

"Um, Shuichi?" she spoke up. Her voice was extremely quiet, and her cheeks were pink with embarrassment. When I turned my head to face her, I noticed that she was carrying a small box. Whatever it was, it smelled like some sort of chocolate flavoured pastry.

'_How about a little game of "Bait the Fangirl"?'_ I suggested to Youko. He chuckled darkly.

'_Yes, that sounds like a very good idea right now. I think we're both in the mood to relieve some stress at the expense of an innocent bystander.'_

"Good afternoon, Miss Yamamura," I greeted politely, giving her a charming smile. Her blush got a little deeper, and I noticed a faint smell of arousal. I could almost hear her counting to ten and back in her mind. "Is there something I can help you with, Miss Yamamura?" I asked, pretending to be completely clueless as to her current state.

"Oh, n-n-no, it's fine, I just, wanted, to give you…" she stuttered off into silence. Her face was an interesting shade of red, and she was fiddling nervously with the cloth wrapped around the box she was holding.

"Hm? You wanted to give me something?" I asked, turning around to face her entirely, giving her the impression that all my attention was focused on her. It may sound endearing, but really, it's quite disconcerting to have the complete attention of someone you have a crush on – every blunder you make seems more prominent, every stutter louder, your choice of words foolish and awkward, and at the same time, it feels as if the person you're talking to can do absolutely no wrong.

"Uh-um… y-yes, I wanted to give… um, brownies, yeah… made them… for you…" she mumbled almost incoherently, tripping over her words

'_Poor girl, don't you feel sorry for her?'_ Youko asked, but any honesty that might have been meant by this statement was completely discredited when he followed up with an evil-sounding snicker.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" I asked politely.

"Uh, well, you see, I made some cookies for you, and I was wondering if you'd… like them…?" she explained, a little louder this time.

"I thought you mentioned brownies, before?" I asked, acting confused. Her blush reddened.

"Uh, yes! Um, they're brownies, chocolate chip, and I thought you'd like them… and I, uh, I made them for you… and… um…"

"Oh. Well, thank you very much, Miss Yamamura," I gave her another charming smile, taking the box she was holding, purposefully brushing my hand against hers in the process. I noticed her counting to ten and back again, this time audibly. "Miss Yamamura? Are you feeling quite alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, I just, kind of sick yesterday, you know…" she mumbled.

"You should go home and get some rest, then," I commended, reaching up to lay my hand on her forehead under the pretence of checking for a fever. "Oh, you seem to be running a fever. Would you like me to walk you home, to make sure you're alright?"

"N-no! I mean, it's fine, you don't have to… my friends are right over there, I'll get them to take me home! Um…" her face suddenly lost a great deal of colour. I suppose she'd forgotten that her friends were watching. "Goodbye!"

And with that, she raced off in the opposite direction. Her friends left their hiding place and raced after her, brushing past me as they went. As they passed, one of them reached out and yanked out a few strands of hair with discretion that rivalled that of a master pickpocket.

I sweatdropped.

'_One day, they're going to find our seeds, and then what?' _Youko growled.

'_Personally, I'm not too worried about that. The worst that could happen is that they might try to grow it, which isn't that big of a problem, because everyone who sees it will probably end up being devoured in some unpleasant manner anyway,'_ I replied calmly.

'_Good point,'_ Youko replied with a smirk, probably running through all the possibilities in his head. I sighed.

'_Well, now that that's taken care of, shall we think up an excuse to tell to mother?'_

'_Just tell her you were at the library.'_

'_The library closes at five, Youko, and it'll be six thirty by the time we get home.'_

'_Then say you met up with an old friend on your way back and got caught up. It's the truth, after all.'_

'_Yes, that sounds plausible. But I must say, I'm not looking forward to doing homework this afternoon, or school tomorrow.'_

The two of us gave a simultaneous sigh, not even bothering to go through the routine argument of whether I should or shouldn't do my homework and go to school the following day. It took too much energy to argue, and as long as I was in control, work would be done and school would be attended. Energy was better saved for the gruelling hours of homework that lay ahead of me.

(Raven's POV)

You know, I'd never noticed quite how short Genkai was before. I guess it can be a sort of advantage – if you're smaller, you're faster, more accurate, and your opponent has less to hit. However, now that I'm lined up with Genkai, all I can think about is how embarrassing it must be for Yusuke to get beaten into a bloody pulp by an old woman who's barely half his size.

It also crosses my mind that in this house, the only place in miles that's safe from the demons in the forest, the only inhabitants are a powerful psychic, an ice apparition, and a girl stuck in the body of the guy she's resurrected from. And you know what? When it comes down to it, I guess I'm the only guy for miles, unless you're counting that 'Baldok' thing back in the demon forest. Sure, I'm technically a girl in a guy's body, but they were under the impression that I was a real guy. That meant they'd probably following that killer female instinct, you know, that one that says that when there's only one guy and more than one girl, the guy will be ganged up on and his self-confidence picked apart at the seams until he's left a whimpering mess on the floor.

Suddenly, I felt a great deal of empathy for my little brother back home.

We were sitting at the table in the dining room, waiting for Yukina. She'd called us down for dinner a little early, she explained, so she had to finish cooking before she could serve the food. It was taking a while, though. I'd offered her help, but she'd declined and left me alone with the scary old hag.

"So you're Raven, huh?" Genkai asked, obviously not impressed.

"Yeah, and you're Genkai. Nice to finally meet you in person." I was trying my best to act the same way I always did, but to me it just sounded like an arrogant, disrespectful prick at the moment.

She rolled her eyes.

"Smart aleck," she noted in a bored tone. I bit my lip – bad first impression.

"Eh… sorry if I come off that way. I'm just kinda nervous, you know. I'm the only guy here, and women always have this killer instinct that tells them 'he's all on his own, let's get him!' I'm caught between begging on my knees for mercy and just finding somewhere to hide." I gave a grimace.

Genkai smirked.

"Well, it's nice to know _someone_ has the proper respect for women," she commented. Call me crazy, but she sounded really evil right now. "You're a bit smarter than my dimwit apprentice, thankfully."

"Nah, I only pretend to be," I laughed.

She snorted unkindly.

"Modesty isn't getting you anywhere, kid."

"I know, but the alternative is arrogance, and I'm afraid that might turn out a little worse than modesty," I mock sighed.

"Keh, what's the worst that could happen?"

"As a girl? Nothing. As a guy stuck alone in the mountains with two girls and a forest full of demons for them to throw me into if I piss them off?" I shivered. "Some very interesting images come to mind. None of them are pleasant, though."

She snickered.

"Nothin' wrong with _your_ survival instincts," she commented.

"Um… thanks?" I blinked. "Was that a compliment or a warning?"

"Both," she replied boredly. I got the distinct impression she meant it.

"…well, thanks for the warning. It's always nice to know if a person coming at me with a rusty knife is being serious or not," I replied finally.

"Not like it matters. From what I hear, your powers must be on the same sort of level as Kurama's, and _you_ didn't even have to lift a finger to get it that way," she scowled. I pouted.

"Yeah, I kind of feel like a cheat. I mean, I didn't have to work for it at all. I mean, I've still got a bit of work to do since Kuronue never reached his max, but that's only 'cause he had a bad wing, and bat demons need their wings to store power in." I ruffled my wings, now pouting at the ceiling, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Has anyone ever told you that you act like a child?" she sneered at me.

"Maturity's overrated. The way I see it, I'm not aging anymore, so as long as I've got forever to live, I've got forever to grow up too. Works fine with me!"

She smirked.

"We'll see how long _that_ lasts."

I shrugged. "Probably until I finally get it through my thick skull that this is actually happening," I replied. "I dunno why. I mean, I know where I am, I know what's going on, I know it's actually happening, and I've gone through all the consequences in my head. It's just not registering, for some reason."

"I don't blame you, kid. In fact, I'd say you're handling this pretty well for someone who's never gotten a real shock before."

It was at this point that Yukina finally entered the room, carrying several trays of food with apparent ease and balance that really made me wonder if she truly _wasn't_ a fighter.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long," she apologised, setting the food down on the table. It looked really good, and it smelled like it too. It was funny, I'd never actually tried Japanese food myself before, but I didn't even remember that until I came across some rather suspicious taste buds that were suggesting a demonic sounding side-dish (which will go unnamed and undescribed) to go with it.

"It's fine, Yukina," Genkai replied, picking up her chopsticks. You know, she sounded a lot less evil when she was talking to Yukina. "You really went out of your way tonight, didn't you?"

Yukina gave a shy smile. "I wanted to make our guest feel welcome."

Genkai rolled her eyes. "Don't bother giving him special treatment, Yukina. He's just a freeloading bum."

"Hey!" my tone was offended, but my facial expression was still a pout. "I am _not_ a freeloader!"

Genkai snickered. "Then what are you? You're in my house, at my table, eating food that Yukina made, and you're not giving anything back for it. Sure looks like a freeloader to me."

I was still pouting. "If you recall, I had nothing to do with this decision! It was the pendant that did the portal and brought me to a place where I had nowhere to stay, it was Hiei and Kurama that brought me back to the temple, it was Kurama that asked you to let me stay here, and it was _me_ who wasn't even asked for an opinion!" I huffed.

"Well, where else were you gonna stay?" Genkai sneered.

"I dunno, the forest? Kuronue's got about a millennia of demon world experience, I'm sure I could last one night in a forest where the strongest guy around is that Rando thing. Heck, at least the locals wouldn't be so hostile…" my expression turned thoughtful. You know, that wasn't such a bad idea.

"You don't need to do that, mister Raven," Yukina spoke up. "It's really very nice having you here. At least you're…" she gave a little smile, hesitating for a second. "…well, you're better feminine company than Genkai."

…huh?

…You know, suddenly it occurs to me that she might not be as naïve as she pretends to be.

"…was that an insult to me or to Genkai?" I questioned, curiosity evident. "Or were you being honest?"

She gave a little giggle, but didn't reply.

I pouted. "Am I really that girly?"

Genkai snickered. "You're as girly as I am masculine, let's leave it at that."

I looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. Genkai isn't that effeminate, but she can't exactly pull off a masculine look if she pretends to be a guy, like she did at the start of the Dark Tournament.

"So I'm not masculine, but I couldn't pull off cross-dressing if I ever tried it?" I pondered aloud. Yukina gave a dainty cough that sounded like a shocked laugh in disguise.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Genkai deadpanned, taking a bite of her food.

"Who's laughing?" I asked, an innocent expression on my face. "I'm serious. You're not girly, but you can't pull of looking like a guy either, so that means I'm not guy-ish, but I can't pull off looking like a girl either. Or did you mean something else when you made that comparison?"

Yukina took a bite of her food, using the chewing motions in an attempt to conceal an ever-growing smile.

_And there's the chapter. It's not the longest I've written, but there's a little more humour than last time, and a tiny bit of the fangirl torture I promised in chapter two. It's not the worst the fangirls are going to go through, though. After all, they haven't even met Raven yet._

_The next update might take a while, I'm afraid. I'll try to get it done before next week, but I've got all my assignments to do, so it might take a little longer. I'm really, really sorry._

_By the way, I was wondering if I should introduce Yomi into this fic. I mean, I like Yomi a lot as a character, and I think it would be interesting if he and Kurama were fighting over Raven (who would be totally oblivious to all of it). I know there are a lot of people who don't like Yomi, though, so I figured I'd ask what everyone thought before going ahead with it._

_Chibi: thanks for your vote, I honestly didn't know everyone would react so badly to the idea of a Harry Potter crossover. I mean, I really like Harry Potter crossovers, so I kind of just assumed everyone else would. I'm really glad I asked. By the way, what Harry Potter crossover fics are you reading? I can never get enough of those, and I'm always looking out for more. As for your suggestions, I'm afraid I already have the rest of the fic planned out. Also, I think you may have the wrong idea about 'Karasu'. It's going to be an OC resurrection, like Raven, rather than the original. Thanks for your suggestions, though.._

_Blackpanzer: I'm glad you liked the 'in what ways can Kuwabaka die in the future' part, I enjoyed writing it! Kuwabaka is such an annoying character. I don't know why, but he just makes me angry for some reason._

_You've already graduated? Lucky, I've still got four whole years left before I even get past high school. By the way, what exactly is the Air Force? I mean, I've heard of it, but no one's ever really explained to me what it is they do._

_Thanks for your review – I probably wouldn't have gotten this far without the support you've been offering me!_

_Mierkai: thank you, I'm glad you liked it! And thank you for your vote, you're right – this fic might be better for being simple. Thanks for your review!_


	8. Some Things Just Don't Change

_I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I didn't mean for it to. I just got into a really bad ditch near the end of the chapter, and there's loads of other stuff I had to keep correcting and re-correcting through the whole thing. Again, sorry._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, despite wishing very deeply that I did. (forlorn sigh)._

After dinner, I spent a few more hours tossing and turning before I finally realized that I was capable of tucking my wings away into my back, not to mention concealing the pointy ears (the teeth wouldn't go away until sun-up, though). After successfully sealing my wings, I donated a few minutes to the noble cause of banging my head against the wall, cursing my slowness and comparing myself to Kuwabara (much more painful than the contact with the wall). Then, I spent another hour or so tossing and turning, getting used to the uncomfortable feeling of having my wings stored inside the flesh of my back (cramped, stiff and slightly itchy). When I finally got to sleep, I was assaulted by dreams. No, it wasn't Kuronue's past or something clichéd like that. For some reason, Hiei was dressed in an ice cream costume, and he was about the size of one too, but still he managed to beat Kuwabara up with a live chicken that was about the same size as Youko in his fox form, and had the same number of tails, oddly enough.

Needless to say, I was sleeping in the following morning.

(Genkai's POV)

I have to admit, that Raven boy really is a character. Doesn't seem like a 'Raven' at all, in my opinion – more like an Alexander, or maybe a Christopher, if you're going to use an English name.

I was thinking this idly as I was walking down the silent hallway. The boy was technically staying at my place so that he could have some time to get his act together, sort through all his new abilities and get used to having a demons' body. I wasn't supposed to train him, but I figure I should at least spend a day or so making sure everything was functioning properly, that he'd be able to deal with a whole new set of instincts without going psycho and turning on us (it didn't seem likely at this point, but you can never be too cautious).

Finally faced with the sliding door to the guest room where Raven was sleeping, I slid the door open. The windows were covered and the room was dark. I could just barely make the figure curled up on the futon.

I rolled my eyes – lazy bum, it was already…

I checked my wristwatch.

…5:49 AM. Okay, maybe not so lazy. Sometimes I forget about the sleeping habits normal people have. Still, it was getting light outside, so he should've been up by now.

I spent a few moments contemplating whether or not I should wake him up, considering the early hour. Then, I gave an uncaring shrug, walking towards the window and throwing open the blinds. My intention was to let in a great deal of annoyingly bright light, but it didn't work – the sun wasn't even half risen at this point, so all it let in was a pleasant, gentle glow.

I growled, turning around to look at the figure curled up on the futon…

…what the fuck?

…that didn't look like Raven. Apart from completely lacking any extra demonic limbs, such as wings and pointy ears, that figure looked distinctly… feminine.

Long, dark hair fell over a peaceful, sleeping face. Slender, effeminate arms were clutching the blankets to a bare chest (the person seemed to be completely shirtless). I couldn't make out much else, though – the thick blankets obscured almost everything else. I could only just tell that the figure was curled up beneath the covers.

I raised an eyebrow cynically.

Boy, would I love to know what happened here. Just one night, and he already had a girl in his bed, apparently naked at least from the waist up. Either that, or there was something he wasn't telling us.

I went over to the figure in the bed, giving it a gentle poke in the arm.

A single arm raised up to swat my hand away. I narrowed my eyes, poking the figure again.

This time, I heard a groan. A distinctly unfeminine groan. This time, when the arm came up to swat my hand away, the covers slipped slightly, revealing a completely flat chest for just a moment.

…

No… it couldn't be…

I poked the figure one more time, just to be sure.

This time, the sound was a growl, and a very male one at that. The figure thrashed violently to the side, trying to rid itself of the annoying contact once and for all. I caught sight of an extremely male chest (and a nice one at that), and the toned muscles in the upper arms which had previously been concealed by the curtain of dark hair. Finally, the figure settled down again, this time on its other side, the very image of serene, feminine beauty.

(Raven's POV)

My morning was not a good one.

It started with a poke. It wasn't really that much of a setback, just annoying. I sort of just batted it away and went right back to sleep. I wasn't in the mood to wake up just yet. It hadn't quite registered yet that it was possible the events of the prior night were actually a dream, so it wasn't that which was annoying me. It was just the fact that I hadn't had too much sleep, and my bed was really warm and comfortable, and that hand was annoying.

Then, there was another poke. I gave a light groan and a slightly more violent swat, silently begging for the person to go away. I felt my covers slip slightly, but immediately pulled them back into place – the room was cold, and I'd removed my shirt and the armbands the prior night, leaving me in nothing but a pair of extremely tight leather pants.

There was a pause. Had the evil PFD (Poking Finger of Doom) gone away? Or was it just trying to lull me into a false sense of security so that it'd be even more annoying when it tore me violently from my sleep?

…poke.

I growled and thrashed violently to the side, trying in vain to get rid of the evil poking finger once and for all. This unsettled my covers quite a bit, and it took me a while to get comfortable again, and even then, the covers had lost a bit of warmth, and there was something different about how I was lying. Wrong side, maybe? I decided to ignore it and try to go back to sleep. At least the evil poking finger had stopped its attempt to totally annihilate what was left of my peaceful state of rest.

Then, there was a noise. It sounded a lot like laughter, but I couldn't quite bring myself to care. It couldn't possibly be more important than sleep, whatever it was.

The laughter grew louder. It was really starting to bug me, but still I tried to ignore it.

Then, I heard the door slide open again.

"Master Genkai, what seems to be the proble-" there was a pause. "Oh, my."

'What the hell is all this fuss about?' I growled in my head.

"Master Genkai, why do you suppose Mister Raven has a woman in his bed…?" the timid voice asked.

'Huh? Isn't "Raven" my name? But I don't have girl in my bed. I think I would notice if I did. Unless…' I paused momentarily. 'Oh, crap! Did I turn back into a girl?!'

Immediately, I sat bolt upright.

"What the hell is going on here?!" I all but shouted. My voice was perfectly male, I noticed. Looking down, I saw that I still had a perfectly male chest. This, of course, had me completely stumped.

I looked at the two women in my room. Yukina was looking at me with wide eyes and was covering her mouth, giggling slightly. Genkai, on the other hand, was almost rolling about on the floor with gut-busting laughter.

There was only one word to eloquently describe my thoughts on the situation.

"Huh?"

"O-oh, don't mind us, Mister Raven," Yukina said, still trying to hold back giggles. "It's just… you look a little… well, feminine, when you're asleep. I suppose you must have picked it up from Kuronue?"

I blinked.

"Oh. Well, no, I think that's just me," I replied. "Now, is there any real reason I'm awake, or can I go back to sleep? I took me a few hours to figure out how to put my wings away, another hour to get used to it, and another hour to figure out I wasn't going to get to sleep with the shirt or the armbands, so all in all, I'm running on… very little sleep." Too tired even to do the math properly. Or remember how many hours of sleep you were supposed to get. Was it six or eight? You know, I always get that one mixed up…

"I'm not sure, I only came in here after I heard Master Genkai," Yukina replied, giving a concerned look to the powerful psychic who currently appeared to be about a moment away from busting her gut. "And I don't think she'll be explaining it any time soon…"

"Probably not," I agreed dryly. Then, I noticed that she was blushing. "Eh…? Why are you blushing? Was it something I said?"

"Um…" the blush grew brighter. "…well, are you wearing any clothes under the covers?"

Oh. That would explain it. I was still half under the covers, so she probably couldn't see the lower half of my body.

"Yeah, I'm still wearing my pants. It's only the shirt and the armbands that were annoying me. Sorry, I didn't realize I'd have company first thing in the morning," I explained, rubbing the back of my head and grinning sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry, it's all right. It's just, it'd be a bit awkward, I mean, I do the washing, and it's kind of weird washing sheets if you know you're also… um… indirectly touching… well, you know…"

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess I can understand that point of view. Sorry 'bout that, then, I'll try and sleep fully clothed from now on."

"Oh, no, it's fine, just as long as you don't take your pants off!" she reassured quickly. Then, she apparently did a double-take at that statement, and turned blushed. "…sorry."

Genkai was still laughing, I noted.

"It's not that funny, Genkai," I commented.

"Oh, yes it is!" she chortled. I gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Well, it doesn't look like she's stopping any time soon," I commented dryly. "Is there anything you needed, Yukina?"

"Oh, no, I'm alright. Actually, I should go and start on breakfast soon. What about you? Maybe you'd like to have a shower?" she suggested timidly, blushing softly.

"Um…" I paused, giving a cursory sniff. She was right, I didn't exactly smell too good. It wasn't just your everyday run-of-the-mill body odour either, I could also smell the blood of the beast I'd slain the previous day, along with a few other unpleasant smells from the forest. "Yeah, actually, that sounds pretty good right about now," I replied sheepishly.

She smiled. "It's the second door on the right after you leave the room. I'll see if I can get a change of clothes for you, since those ones aren't exactly suited to everyday life."

"Thanks!" I beamed. "You know, you're probably the nicest person I've met! I mean, it _could_ be a matter of country, or maybe people in this dimension are just different to people back home, but I don't think I've ever met such a nice person!"

Genkai gave a snort. "You sound like cross between Botan and Kuwabara."

I choked. "_Ew_! Oh my god, I feel so unclean!"

Yukina appeared confused by this. Genkai just snickered.

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna puke…" I groaned, clutching my stomach with one hand and my mouth with the other. "I think I'm gonna go have that shower now, thanks." I got to my feet, putting on a big show of wobbling over to the door. Once beyond it, I dropped the act and positively bolted towards the bathroom.

_(back with Yukina and Genkai…_

"He's a strange man, isn't he?" Yukina said, unable to stop her lips from curving upwards ever so slightly. "I wonder what he has against Kazuma and Miss Botan?"

Genkai snorted. "Never mind, you wouldn't get it."

_There, the chapter I put off for more than a month. Sorry, there's no Kurama or Hiei. Just my lame attempt at humour. And, in case you were wondering, this isn't the last you'll be seeing of Raven's odd sleeping habits. I was planning on making it a plot point, maybe with some semi-psychotic fangirl kidnapping boys…? Hmm…_

_By the way, I just noticed that Raven doesn't have a surname yet, and I can't figure one out. I'm not good at picking out names, they're always really lame and dramatic, mostly words in other languages meaning dark or black or death or something like that. So, please, help me out and make sure Raven's last name isn't as corny as his first._

_Anyway, I can honestly say I got some great feedback on the idea of Yomi and Kurama fighting over Raven. However, I've had someone comment that it's too unoriginal for Raven not to notice anything. I mean, I think it'll be more fun if he's totally oblivious, but I'd like your opinion here._

_Also, someone commented that the 'Karasu' OC should be obsessed with Yusuke rather than Hiei. I have to admit, Yusuke's reactions would be a lot more fun than Hiei's, but I still like Hiei better as a character. Maybe 'Karasu' could be obsessed with both, and the one who doesn't end up with 'Karasu' could go and be with Yomi? I don't know, what's your opinion on that?_

_I've also had a suggestion for Yukina and Keiko to get together, if Yusuke is otherwise taken. I respect Keiko, and I'm sure Hiei respects her too on some level. I'd like to know your opinion on this, and whether I should go into detail or just have them show up one day and say they're together. _

_Now, onto the reviews._

_blackpanzer: Thanks for your review, again. By the way, I was wondering whether I should actually kill Kuwabara for real in this fic? Seriously, Hiei and Raven and Karasu could gang up and shove him down a well and let him starve to death whilst Hiei dangles a drumstick over his head, like Raven suggested when he was talking with Hiei. Do you think so? I do._

_Thanks, I'm glad you like the idea of Yomi in this fic. I like Yomi too, like you said, he's really cool, and he's also a really interesting character to write._

_Thank you for your advice about high school, that's probably a good idea, come to think of it. I think I'll do that. Thanks again!_

_chibi: oh… well, that's too bad. I really like crossovers. And I don't mind a negative response, it just means you really don't want a crossover, which is nice to know about. Thanks so much for all your praise, I feel so warm and fuzzy inside when people say how much people like my story! Thank you!_

_xKokurox: thanks, you're right, it might be a little too unoriginal for Raven to be oblivious. I mean, he's a bat demon, and with his hearing, it's probably hard not to notice things like that. Yeah, I can see Hiei and Raven as family too. I was thinking of having them gang up on Kuwabara and shove him down a pit or a well or something later in the fic and just leave him there for a week or two. Sounds like something they'd do, doesn't it?_

_And thanks for your suggestion with Yusuke, really! He'd have such an amusing reaction to being kidnapped and hit on by the guy who even had Kurama pissing his pants (figuratively). And yeah, that's also a good idea, having Yukina and Keiko hook up. Thanks for that flash of inspiration, too!_


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